The Twisting String that is Fate
by Sketcher1994
Summary: Robin watched the man across the room with great curiosity. She'd never seen him before, but there were always newcomers to their town. She moved around the the room, careful not to let him notice her. "May I have the next dance?" Robin turned, surprised by a man's voice behind her. It was the man she hadn't seen before. When had he appeared behind her? (Disney inspired AU)
1. 1 - The Falling of a Crocodile's Empire

**AN: One Piece belongs to Eiichiro Oda**

**Sorry for the terrible summary! :P So, this was a random story that I came up with while listening to Disney songs – if you can guess the film/song/characters you get bonus points! ;P**

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><p><strong>Chapter One – The Falling of a Crocodile's Empire<strong>

Robin watched the man across the room with great curiosity. She had never seen him there before, but there were always newcomers to their town. She watched him talking to a shorter man with black hair, the man's red shirt bold against his black jacket and tie. The man seemed to say something quietly into the shorter man's ear before turning away to walk towards the bar. She moved around the edge of the room, careful not to let the man notice her. She watched as a man with straight blonde hair approached her target, a woman in a tight black dress hanging off of his arm.

Robin watched the three of them carefully. These two were new to her as well, just as the black haired man had been. Who were they and what were they doing here? She certainly had not noticed them before, and Crocodile had not spoken to them. She had kept an eye on _him_ from the start. She was supposed to be a second set of eyes for him, and he expected her to keep his bed warm, but she did not trust him. She could not trust him, not when he regularly disposed of his subordinates so carelessly – she could be next. She noticed him take another sip of his wine, still talking to his upper class 'friends'.

"May I have the next dance?"

Robin turned around, surprised by the man's voice behind her. It was the man from the bar that she hadn't seen before. When had he appeared behind her? No-one snuck up on her, especially people she was curious about. The fact that he was clearly connected to three other strangers made her so curious that she was in fact suspicious of the man asking her to dance. Who were they? Were they just members lower on the food chain that she hadn't met yet? Were they people from the town? Or were they here on another agenda other than to enjoy the ball? Robin quickly glanced back at the bar, realising instantly that she'd lost track of the tall blonde man and his female companion.

"Of course, Sir, you may," she smiled, taking his offered hand.

"I'm Zoro, what's your name?" He asked her, the roughness of his voice catching her by surprise, as he led her to the dance floor.

"Nico Robin. Nice to meet, Zoro-san." She smiled at him, looking into his eyes as she did so.

She found herself being lead around the floor as if they had spent weeks practising together just for this one dance. She kept having to remind herself that she was supposed to be trying to find his friends again, but every time she thought that she'd caught a glimpse of the tall blonde man, the green haired man, who's arms she was in, would spin her perfectly again, causing her to look back at him, smiling every time she made eye contact with him, for every time she smiled, he would blush a little more. She was almost sad when the music ended and she realised they'd once again go their separate ways.

"Zoro!"

Robin turned to look in the direction of the voice, quickly noticing Crocodile standing behind Zoro's black haired friend. Crocodile did not look happy, in fact, to Robin, he looked furious. What had upset him so much? She glanced back at Zoro, noticing Zoro's expression had changed to one of a very defensive nature. She looked back at Crocodile, realising that the two were staring each other down. Crocodile had seen the two of them dancing, and now it became obvious to Robin that even Crocodile did not recognise Zoro, or if he did, he certainly did not like him.

"Zoro-san? Shall we walk over to them?" She asked, taking Zoro's hand to lead him over to the two men, taking the green haired man by surprise.

"Crocodile recognised you after all, Zoro!" The black haired man laughed, much to Robin's disbelief.

"Yes, I did." Crocodile added, glaring at Zoro, "and I see you have met my assistant, Nico Robin."

"Yes, I have. I noticed her watching me so I thought I'd ask her to dance, didn't think you'd mind." Zoro countered.

"Oi, Luffy! Marimo!" Robin turned to see the blonde man, the woman with short orange hair nowhere in sight, near the entrance, "Nami isn't feeling well, so I really think we should head back now."

"Oh, Sanji! Perfect timing! Crocodile just recognised Zoro – he's already asked us to leave!" The man that was obviously 'Luffy' grinned back, given Robin could only guess that 'Marimo' referred to Zoro having short green hair.

Robin watched as the three men left, a strange feeling in her chest. What had happened to give her such a feeling? What had they been up to? Had Zoro just been given the job of distracting her? Or was he distracting Crocodile from something by dancing in the middle of the room, in plain view, and he'd only chosen her by chance? Had he even known she was Crocodile's 'assistant'? It was possible, given Zoro and Crocodile knew each other, but he could genuinely just have chosen her because she'd been watching him, although how had he even noticed? What were the four of them doing here?

...

Robin looked out over the town from her balcony, remembering the night she'd almost been 'disposed of', all because she'd allowed someone she'd been suspicious of distract her. She hadn't made that mistake since, and it wasn't one she'd risked making before. She still didn't understand why she'd let him distract her so easily, but even now when she remembered that night, all she could think of clearly was the green haired man, dressed in his black suit and white shirt, partially unbuttoned, as his black tie hung loosely around his collar. She would never forget the dance with the man that had almost cost her life, even after two years.

Robin sighed and walked back into her room, unaware of the binoculars that had been focused on her, the same binoculars that had focused on her the night before the ball two years earlier. Those binoculars were what were giving her away, and what was causing her to be a target. Those binoculars belonged to the man who had told Zoro of her connection to Crocodile, and what had lead to Zoro choosing her as the woman to participate in his attempt to distract Crocodile.

They were also what were going to cause her to be saved the following night.

Those binoculars belonged to the man who had passed onto the crew that she was an unwilling accomplice to the man that they'd stolen from two years earlier. Had Robin realised those particular binoculars had been pointed on her, she would not have stood on the balcony, for everyone knew their owner could shoot the nail of your pinkie from over a mile away, even if no-one knew who the man was, or what he looked like.

...

Robin walked along the corridor, her tight indigo dress hugging her curves tightly as she walked towards Crocodile's room. He trusted her even less after the events two years earlier, but she was still his right hand woman. She didn't want to be, but she had nowhere to go. She'd spent most of her life wandering, but she'd managed to stay with Crocodile for a number of years now. Even if she wanted to find a future and people she could trust, the best place for her right now was beside the man who threatened her very existence. Robin quietly laughed bitterly at the irony.

She walked into Crocodile's bedroom, her eyes falling on their current captive, Vivi – a young pale blue haired woman whose father ran an organisation that Crocodile was currently trying to take over. Robin smiled sadly at the young woman tied to the chair. She walked over and untied her mouth, curious as to what the woman had to say in her current situation. Robin was always curious about the very different things that people said in this situation, and the girl in front of her seemed likely to give a very interesting speech.

"Vivi-san, my name is Nico Robin," she said, continuing to smile at their captive.

"Well, Nico Robin, you'd be better just letting me go! I won't let Crocodile take over my father's business, I'll keep fighting, but my friends won't let you keep me here! They'll be here to rescue me, and then you'll regret it!" Vivi exclaimed, boldly glaring at Robin.

"We shall see, Vivi-san," Robin smiled back, replacing the gag before leaving the room to go to the ballroom for Crocodile's annual ball.

Robin placed herself at a table in a dark corner of the room, the entrance in perfect view. She watched the couples dancing, keeping her eye on Crocodile as he talked with his usual 'friends' at the ball, every now and then his eyes falling on an interesting looking woman. Robin hid a yawn behind her hand as she wished she could read her book, but that wasn't going to happen. She was at a ball, and she had to pay attention to her surroundings. After the thieves had made off with half of Crocodile's fortune, she'd been very careful not to let it happen again. It was luck that she'd survived that beating, and she knew it.

"May I have the next dance?"

Robin's eyes widened in shock as she spun in her seat to look up at the green haired man. How had he gotten past her? She had been watching the door all night, wary of everyone coming in, but never had she thought that she'd see _him_ again. She stared up at him in disbelief, wondering if his friends had snuck in too. There was one thing she knew – she wasn't going to let him distract her again, whatever his plans were this time. He'd clearly been the leader of the operation last time, making sure he could see everyone while he danced in plain view, the perfect distraction for Crocodile who would recognise him instantly. He'd used her last time, and she was not going to let him do it again.

"I'm sorry, Sir, but I do not feel like dancing this evening." She replied, looking around the room, trying to spot his other friends.

"I thought you'd say that," he stated, pulling out the chair next to her. "Do you want a drink? There's no point in looking for them, they're not here – it's just you and me."

"I'd rather not drink, thank you. You've obviously realised I'm working," she answered, her eyes still scanning the ballroom.

"If you'd like to dance, I'm sure we could get to talk without anyone listening in." Robin turned to look at the man sitting next to her in surprise, trying to decide if she'd heard him right as he took a long drink from his glass.

She nodded carefully, wondering what he could possibly have to say to her, Crocodile's assistant, that no-one else could be allowed to hear. Surely she was the biggest risk in the room, excluding Crocodile himself? She let him lead her up to the dance floor, smiling at the fact he was dressed almost completely the same as he had been two years previous, only now he wore a very dark green tie instead. She felt his eyes search her and she looked up at his face, her eyes meeting with the ones that haunted her as she slept. He nodded at her, obviously deciding she didn't have some sort of microphone on her.

"Robin," he whispered into her ear as they started to slow dance, causing Robin to shiver slightly at the way his voice had rumbled as he'd said her name, "you need to leave."

Strong arms stopped her from pulling away as she tried to step back in surprise. She glanced around the room, wondering if anyone had noticed her sudden surprise, glad of Zoro's strong arms when she realised no-one was looking at them. She carefully looked in the direction of Crocodile, glad when she saw him still distracted by the men he was talking animatedly with. Robin sighed, relaxing onto Zoro. She could feel his heartbeat as their chests gently pressed against each other, somehow soothing to her. She lifted her head off of Zoro's shoulder, resting her head against his, feeling a strange warmth to his cheeks, causing her to giggle quietly.

"Why?" She asked after another moment.

"I know what happened last time, our sharpshooter saw everything." Robin gasped, Zoro quickly glancing at everyone around them, but no-one was paying attention to them, "you need to get out of here, before this song ends. I'm going to lead us towards the edge, and then we're going to go our separate ways, but we're both leaving here – got it?"

Robin nodded, resting her head back on Zoro's shoulder. She could feel his heartbeat quickening slightly and smiled, closing her eyes as she felt him slowly leading her. When she opened them again she couldn't believe how close they were to Crocodile – had he meant to lead them this close? Was he trying to get Crocodile's attention? She'd thought they were going to sneak out? Why would he lead them so close? Crocodile would definitely notice them from this distance. She had to do something before he spotted them.

Robin lightly stepped on Zoro's foot, quietly whispering that she was going to lead them a little further away, explaining that there was no way they'd escape Crocodile's eye if they stayed where they were. Zoro grumbled into her ear something about 'trying to lead them to the bar', but Robin was too focused on getting them away from Crocodile to pick up on what he'd said. She got them over to the dark corner of the ballroom, not far from the door and thanked him for the dance, saying loudly enough for anyone listening in that she was tired and was going to go lie down in her room, to which Zoro replied that he was going to have one last drink before he left anyway.

Robin disappeared out of the room, smiling casually at Crocodile as he looked over at her as she left the room, dissipating any suspicion he might have had. She had watched Zoro calmly walk to the bar before she had made it to the door, glad that Crocodile hadn't seen him. A small part of her hoped that he would make it out alive, knowing that whatever Zoro was up to, it couldn't be anything safe for him to feel as if he should warn her.

...

Robin sat quietly at a table outside a nice little cafe in the neighbouring country, sipping her coffee as she read the newspaper. She smiled as she looked at the photos, recognising the black haired man, now knowing his full name to be 'Monkey D. Luffy'. He was the leader, not Zoro. She now realised how obvious that had been, considering Zoro had been the decoy, and she'd barely noticed the black haired man. The black haired man had been the one to stop Crocodile from storming onto the dance floor, and the one 'Sanji' had addressed first.

The two of them had been keeping an eye on her and Crocodile as the woman had robbed Crocodile, the blonde haired man had been the one conveying messages between them and her. It had all been planned out perfectly, but which one was the sharpshooter? It obviously wasn't Zoro, and Robin doubted it was Luffy. That only left the blonde man and the orange haired woman, but which would chose to keep an eye on her and save her life?

She read through the article, reading carefully about the fall of Crocodile's empire and the rescue of Vivi, knowing full well that the article was lying, easily working out the truth. She smiled as she remembered the young pale blue haired woman's words. She'd been right when she'd said that her friends would come for her, and Robin wouldn't be surprised if Crocodile did regret his last move. It had certainly been an interesting game he'd been playing, but he had ultimately lost, and now Robin lived to find another place where she could watch the game of life be played.

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><p><strong>Hope you enjoyed this! ^_^ Happy New Year to all my wonderful readers!<strong>

**This is my first actual One Piece story to be posted properly (The Life of the First Mate will be randomly updated but I'm doing a minor rewrite of a later chapter, one of my favourites, but I realised it focuses too much on someone else that isn't Zoro and, at that point, has no connection to him...awkward...oops? I'm going to make a few improvements to the chapter and change it around a bit ^_^ ) Good luck guessing the inspiration of this particular chapter! ;P Not all the One Piece stories will be like this, promise! :D The next chapter will be up next Tuesday, but I'll be back at uni so it may be a little late – I have to get home to post! :P**

_Today's One Piece story: 'The Twisting String that is Fate'_

_Friday's Fairy Tail story: 'Conceit and Crudity'_

_Sunday One Shot: 'Waiting' (A GaLe/Gajevy)_


	2. 2 - Intelligence Agent and Babysitter

**AN: One Piece belongs to Eiichiro Oda!**

**Sorry about this being so late! I got my laptop back late on Thursday night – they'd had to order the piece in so it wasn't ready until Wednesday, and then my friend was ill so he couldn't pick it up, and of course he was working on Thursday until 9...so anyway, this is finally getting a chapter update! ^_^ **

**megaME, you were close ^_^ The Disney film was Cinderella! The song was 'So This Is Love', which I guess is a little obscure, but you did put Cinderella as one of the possibilities ^_^ Cinderella was spotted across the dance floor by the prince, and neither knew who the other was, but they fell in love as they danced ^_^ That was the scene that the song brought to mind 0:)**

**Hopefully, these are a little less obscure...? Yes, 'these' ;D The last one has a nice little key phrase for you ;D**

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><p><strong>Chapter Two – The Intelligence Agent, the Babysitter and the Passage of Time<strong>

Robin watched as people moved through the crowded streets, waiting for her contact to arrive. It wasn't long before a man sat opposite her, his sunglasses alone making him look shifty as he sat in a suit. Robin couldn't help but think the man lacked intelligence. She had arrived in normal clothes, ready to start on her task as soon as she'd been contacted. She accepted the envelope he passed her, very clearly, across the table, making Robin wonder if this man had any idea what her job was. He thanked her before getting up again, making their meeting look even more suspicious. Robin slipped the envelope into her bag and finished her coffee, leaving the money on the table before walking away.

She sat on a bench, far from the cafe she'd just been sitting at. She'd had to make sure there was no-one following her after the man's idiocy. She pulled the envelope out of her bag, opening it and pulling the paper out. She glanced around her, hoping none of the children mentioned in the information she'd been giving had seen the interaction. According to the information she had in her hand, the children ran freely around the city, while the 'mother' ran some sort of laundry. The job Robin had been given was to watch the woman to see what she spent her money on, since the woman apparently owed her client a substantial amount of money.

Robin carefully followed the woman, only letting her out of sight while she was inside her own home. It had been several days with the woman showing no unnecessary spending when Robin's client had clearly had enough, deciding to step in himself, allowing Robin a morning of freedom – they'd contact her again if she was needed again in the afternoon. Robin had not been surprised when she'd been contacted again, but had been very surprised about the circumstances. A green haired man had been there, meaning there was a 'new family member'. Robin caught up with the woman in the main streets as the woman did her usual shopping, no man in sight.

Robin walked quietly along the street, blending in perfectly, or at least she had thought she did. Her eyes made contact with a very familiar set, staring back at her in horror. She smiled at the green haired man, three babies strapped to his chest – who could help but smile? The wind brushed passed them, causing something to stir in Robin as she smiled, either yet to say anything. They stood staring for another moment before he looked passed her and pulled her into the alleyway, much to Robin's amusement. She glanced behind her as he pulled her into the alleyway, catching a glimpse of orange hair and quickly realising who it was they were hiding from.

"Hello, Zoro-san," she greeted him, glad that they were at least out of sight of her target, while she knew he'd be glad that 'Nami' wouldn't see them, "I do believe these children don't belong to you?"

"Robin! What are you doing here?!" He asked, clearly embarrassed as he loudly whispered to her.

"Working." She smiled, "Had you planned to take on a babysitting job?"

"NO! I got tricked into it! Damn brats!" Zoro whisper-yelled, glancing around him.

"Don't worry, Zoro-san, I won't tell anyone," she smiled, turning away from him before glancing back over her shoulder and giggling, "besides, it suits you."

She'd never forget the impressive blush that took over his face at that moment. She'd failed to forget his eyes, and now she realised it had been his scent that she'd remembered as the wind had brushed passed them. She remembered the night at Crocodile's ball as they'd slow danced – his masculine scent, his heartbeat, and his voice. She remembered his voice as he'd whispered into her ear. She remembered the comforting feel of his heartbeat and the warmth of his cheek as she'd rested her head against his. His eyes suddenly flashed behind her closed eyelids as she remembered the first night they'd met. Zoro truly had caused her misfortune – she didn't need to keep bumping into him. He'd almost cost her her life and had eventually cost her her job. He was her bad luck charm, and she wasn't ready to get hurt again.

...

Robin walked out of a shop, wondering what all the whispering was about. There had been a nervous atmosphere all day, and she still hadn't worked out what was going on. Even when she'd tried to eavesdrop, all she'd found out was that it was 'something dangerous', and they didn't want it 'on their islands'. It had been a long time since she had been this baffled by a large crowd of people, all muttering about the same thing. She was almost tempted to ask what they were talking about.

Robin wandered into a pub, just in time to watch a woman with long orange hair and a man with an abnormally long nose deal with a strange looking group of people, much to the horror of the people in the bar. One group must be to do with the whispers, but maybe it was both? Maybe there was supposed to be a large fight? She certainly didn't plan to get involved; she was just here on her way to another job.

She sat down at the bar next to the woman and the man, neither group really all that aware of each other. It wasn't long before she focused on their conversation though. She'd absently listened to them tell each other about the last two years, but then they'd said four little letters that always caught her attention – Zoro. They were wondering what Zoro would look like now, and how strong he'd be after training for two years. Robin looked at the two sitting next to her, quickly deciding she'd never seen the man before, but after a second look at the woman, Robin recognised her. She'd only seen her briefly five years before and caught a glimpse of her short orange hair two years earlier, but it was definitely her.

"Nami-san?"

"Robin!" Robin stared in disbelief at the man she'd never seen before, for it had been him that had said her name.

"Robin?" Nami turned to face her, a sly grin appearing on her face after recognising her, "still following Zoro, are we?"

"No, I was never following him, however I am starting to wonder if you are following me?" Robin asked, a small smile playing on her lips.

"No, just following the path forward," Nami laughed, before gesturing towards the man, "and this is Usoppe by the way! He's our sharpshooter, but he never makes an appearance – he's a chicken!"

"Says you!" Usoppe exclaimed before offering Robin his hand, "Usoppe, nice to finally meet you!"

"Usoppe...Robin, nice to finally meet you...too," she greeted him, shaking his hand, "so you're the sharpshooter Zoro mentioned – thank you."

"Don't worry about it – I just passed on what I saw, Luffy was the one to decide to get you out of the way!" Usoppe smiled cheesily, finishing his drink.

"Yeah, he's an idiot, but when he found out how Crocodile treated you, he decided to get you out too," Nami explained, "Zoro didn't have any problem with passing on the message to you, so he got the task. Getting Vivi out and taking care of Crocodile's subordinates was pretty simple after you left – wasn't easy though!"

"Yeah, Zoro took care of Crocodile's bodyguard, and Luffy took out Crocodile!" Usoppe boasted loudly, "the rest of us had to deal with everyone else!"

"Very impressive, Usoppe-san!" Robin smiled, happy that she had interpreted the lies of the article correctly.

"Wanna come meet everyone?! You can see Zoro again!?" Nami teased, leaning into Robin.

"I would very much like to meet everyone – I have only really spoken to the two of you and Zoro-san, and I have only briefly met Luffy-san." Robin smiled, ignoring Nami's tone.

"Great!" Usoppe replied for Nami before she could make another attempt at teasing Robin.

It wasn't long before Robin found herself standing outside a small building, strangely labelled 'Shakky's Rip-Off Bar'. Something told Robin that she'd heard of this place before, but she couldn't think why she would have. She did once she walked in. Silvers Rayleigh sat at the bar, the infamous right hand man of the late Gol D. Rodger. Robin had grown up in the dark world full of dark whispers of dark soulless men. She was even considered one herself, although it was obvious she was no man. She nodded to him, Rayleigh nodding back, before turning to follow Nami and Usoppe, her eyes quickly recognising the three men she'd seen that first night.

Robin giggled as she took in the scene in front of her, six men sitting around a table shouting between each other. Luffy sat in the middle on the opposite side of the table, two of the men arguing over the top of him as he laughed. Robin couldn't help but smile as she watched them, their laughter seeping into her as she stood. Usoppe sat down next to a tall giant-shouldered, light blue haired man who'd had to sit diagonally at the near-side corner of the table, his shoulders not fitting into the suggested space.

Robin smiled in amusement as the two happily fell into conversation, while a much older gentleman with an giant black afro turned his attention from the blue haired man to the blonde sitting on his left – Sanji. Robin failed to hold back her giggle as she noticed the change in the blonde man. She could still remember him standing in the ballroom doorway, telling Luffy and Zoro it was time to leave, and it was that memory that caused her to laugh – his hair now fell over the other half of his face...showing a spiral on the end of his eyebrow, the same side as it had been on above his other eye.

Robin was not surprised Sanji kept one eyebrow covered.

Robin followed Nami to the two remaining seats, Nami taking the one next to Usoppe, directly across from Zoro, leaving one seat for Robin. Robin pulled the chair out and sat down, introducing herself as she did so, the two arguing men falling silent as she spoke. Robin sat patiently, listening to the introductions of each of the men and their particular occupations within the group, the young man next to her surprising her the most. It turned out that she found herself sitting next to a young, very tall and muscular doctor with short sandy brown hair that went by the name of Chopper. The two easily fell into conversation, only allowing her the occasional curious glance at the green haired man on his right who was yet to say anything to her. What had happened to the man she had danced with?

...

Robin felt someone touch her arm and turned to face Nami, wondering what the young woman wished to tell her. Nami nodded her head in the direction of the door, standing up from her chair as she did so. Robin nodded back, making to follow Nami, pausing as she saw a movement out the corner of her eye. Robin turned, smiling as she realised the movement had been Zoro standing up from his seat. Robin felt slightly disappointed as he failed to smile back, walking in the direction of a door clearly labelled as the men's toilets instead. Robin turned back to Nami, quickly following her out of the door.

"What's wrong with Zoro-san? He hasn't spoken to me yet – I'd have thought he'd lost his tongue while falling out of bed onto some poorly placed fork, but I cannot see any scars that would match that, and of course he was arguing with Sanji-san when we arrived." Robin asked as she shut the door, joining Nami as she leaned against the bar's outer wall, staring up at the stars.

"That's what Zoro's always like – he doesn't say anything unless he has to, or he's arguing with Sanji, but I guess you've already seen that...I'll hit them for it later if they start up again," Nami sighed, glancing at Robin, "but you haven't said anything to him either, Robin? I thought you liked him?"

"He has always been the one to approach me, Nami-san. I do not put myself in the way of men, I learned the hard way that you can't trust them." She answered, staring up at the stars through the clouds, "I've had too many bad experiences."

"And yet I'm sure we all saw the way you smiled at him when he stood up just now." Nami replied, glancing at her again as she spoke.

"I can't understand why my smile would be any different for him – he's no different to any other man," Robin stated, her gaze falling down to the clover pushing up through the cracks in the stones that formed the path around the outside of the building.

"You're not fooling me, Robin – just admit it, you like him." Nami said plainly, turning to look at Robin, "and it wouldn't surprise me if he likes you too. Zoro's not a dancing man, yet he danced with you at the ball. The first time it had been my suggestion when he'd pointed out that you were watching him, but no-one had told him to the second time. He'd been asked if he'd pass on the message – Sanji-kun was all too happy too – but Zoro didn't even complain, and I'm guessing from that smile you just gave him, you had no complaints either."

"Don't push me, Nami-san, please. I don't believe in the subject you're trying to persuade me of, I'm not even sure there is such a thing as a true friend, never mind finding a man I could love. I admit, there are things that I liked about Zoro-san, but I will not say something so unnatural as to say I am in love with him – he is a perfect stranger, Nami-san," Robin lectured, turning to make for the door.

"So what does that make us?"

Robin turned back to the other woman, feeling very confused. What could she mean? Was she suggesting they were friends? Nami had introduced her to everyone, and even tried to persuade her of Zoro's feelings – wasn't that what female friends did? Talk to each other, hang out with friends and make each other feel better? Robin smiled softly as she thought about what she owed Nami and her friends, and her smile even grew as she thought about the last few hours, none of them even caring that she owed them anything, even though they had saved her life. Maybe these people were friends, even if she'd only really just met them? They certainly made her feel as if she was one of them, everyone except Zoro that is, but she could get him to warm to her again, she was sure.

"You're right, Nami-san," she smiled at Nami, "I believe we are friends."

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><p><strong>Hope you enjoyed this chapter! ^_^ Good luck guessing ^_^<strong>

**_'Guest'_****, I'm so sorry this was so late! ;_; Next update will be Tuesday! Hope you found this chapter as interesting as the last one! Love surprising people 3;D**

**_grandprincessanastasiaromanov5,_**** hehe, that makes me very happy to hear that! XD I'm glad you loved it! XD**

**_'Guest',_**** hope you liked this one! Sorry it's late! ;_;**

**_megaME_****, so did I! XD Well, what else would we expect of Zoro?! XD Hope you enjoyed these encounters! ;D Hope you're keeping those Disney films in mind, or you might have a little trouble with these ;D Next Chapter will be up Tuesday! Sorry I'm late with this...I was in two minds whether to message you...but then I decided it would probably be weird to message...sorry... *hangs head in shame* There was a lot of shouting when my laptop broke...it's been going since before Christmas, but no-one listens until it's too late...*sigh***

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><p><strong><span>Today<span>****:**

_**'Ma Forte Peu Mellorine' – One Piece (Sanami)**_

**_'The Twisting String that is Fate' Ch2 – One Piece (Zorobin)_**

**Tuesday:**

_**'The Twisting String that is Fate' Ch3 – One Piece (Zorobin)**_

**_'His Sixth Year Crush' Ch1 – One Piece (Zorobin)_**

**Friday:**

_**'Conceit and Crudity' Ch3 – Fairy Tail (GaLe/Gajevy + others)**_

**Sunday:**

_**'Dishes' – One Piece (Zosan)**_


	3. 3 - Out of the Darkness

**AN: One Piece belongs to Eiichiro Oda!**

**Hey! Here's the final chapter! ^_^ Hope you've enjoyed it!**

**As for the answers to the last chapter, here you go!**

**_Pocahontas – Just Around the Riverbend_**

Pocahontas is curious about what path to take and finds herself meeting John Smith, who as Pocahontas (film) continues, gets her into more and more trouble, but she still falls in love with him even though she doesn't want to. Robin is trying to fulfil her job as an Intelligence Agent and finds herself faced with Zoro who's caused her a lot of trouble, and almost her life (Pocahontas actually loses Kocoum), but she's falling in love with him even though she doesn't want to after everything that's happened.

**_The Lion King – Can You Feel The Love Tonight_**

Timon and Pumba take Nala back to Simba (accidentally...), there's the excitement of meeting back up (shown by the crew), but something is wrong with Simba as he's not being the King she expected, or in this case, Zoro isn't acting like Robin had thought he would.

**_Hercules – I won't Say (I'm in Love)_**

Meg has already had problems with her last man, making her lose faith in them, but the muses try to help her realise she's fallen in love with Hercules! In this case, Robin is Meg and Nami is the Muses! XD

**So, obscure as always, but I feel megaMe has technically given you the answer for this next chapter, but let's see if anyone can get it! ;D**

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><p><strong>Chapter Three – Out of the Darkness<strong>

Robin walked silently along the empty path, breathing in the cool, crisp air. She'd taken her leave of her new friends to make her way to her room at one of the little bed and breakfasts nearer to the centre of the town. She smiled as she thought of the strange group of new friends she'd made. She had decided against telling them that she'd worked for Luffy's father for the last two years, but now she could tell Dragon that she had finally met his son again and that he was doing well, travelling the world with his friends. Robin paused, her gaze falling on the full moon shining through the leaves of the trees that lined the many paths.

"It's beautiful," she breathed out, feeling as if she was seeing it for the first time.

"Yeah, everyone says that when they notice it," a strong male voice stated from behind her, taking her by surprise, "but the question is, why is a woman such as yourself only just noticing it?"

Zoro. This was the second time he'd snuck up on her, but didn't everyone else wonder where he was? She let her eyes roam over him, trying to discern his purpose in following her. His apparel was certainly different from the suit or the trousers and t-shirt. His heavy dark green tunic hung open at his muscular chest, baring his large scar that she had never noticed before, his chest always having been covered. Robin couldn't help but wonder if he had always been that muscular, however she had been told that he'd spent the last two years training, even if it was someone else that had told her, Zoro's physic certainly made good evidence.

Robin's eyes made their way to Zoro's stern face, still wondering what had happened to his left eye. Robin couldn't help but wonder if only one eye would haunt her at night, rather than the two that had etched themselves into the backs of her eyelids five years earlier as he'd spun her around as they'd danced together. Robin released a quiet giggle at the thought, causing Zoro to step forward out of the shadows of the trees, making his presence even more ominous as he stood with his arms crossed in front of his chest.

Robin had accepted at the bar that Zoro didn't trust her, but she needed to know what it was that he didn't trust concerning her. Was it because she'd seen him with the babies at Water 7? Did he think she was going to tell the others? Or was it her seemingly constant appearances wherever he went? No, he hadn't seen her in two years, and he'd just suggested she'd been hiding in the dark.

He wasn't wrong.

"When you are constantly moving, you leave traces behind you. If you leave traces, you must watch your surroundings for your past may re-enter from any direction, Zoro-san," Robin answered, smiling passively back at him.

"So Crocodile wasn't your only wrong move," he stated, stepping towards her, "when we spoke at Water 7, you said you were 'working' – what did you mean by that?"

"I am good at gathering intelligence, Zoro-san." She replied, glancing behind her at the path she should currently be walking along, "I was doing 'odd jobs' at the time, and I had been asked to gather some information. It was a coincidence that I bumped into you, all be it an interesting one. You could have easily blown my cover though, thank you for moving our interaction into the alleyway."

"I didn't do it for you! I didn't want the others seeing me!" He defended, a slight snap to his voice as his serious expression seemingly remained unchanged, "but now you'll have to tell me who it was that you were gathering information on."

"Why should I do that, Zoro-san?" Robin asked, turning completely to face him, a reprimanding look in her eyes.

"Because if you don't, and I find out you were gathering information on us, then there won't be anywhere left in this world where you can hide." Zoro threatened, his hand falling to the hilt of one of his three katanas.

"If I'd been trying to hide from you over the last three years, Zoro-san, I would be terrible at my job. If I had been gathering information on everyone, then I wouldn't have bumped into you by accident at Water 7, and I certainly wouldn't have let Nami know that I'd recognised her." Robin sighed angrily, wondering if he understood what her job actually involved.

"Fine, you may not have been trying to find out information on us two years ago, but that doesn't mean you aren't now." He stated accusingly, "what better way to find out information than to play nice so we tell you everything without giving it a second thought – why wouldn't we trust you?! Our Captain saved your life!"

Robin stared at him in disbelief. He was right, it would have been a brilliant way, but that wasn't what she was doing there. She was on her way to her next job, not spying on them – she wouldn't have taken that job. She hadn't understood until that very night just why she wouldn't have taken that job, but now she couldn't believe that that was how Zoro saw her – a cold, heartless backstabbing woman. She would trust him with her life, and he barely trusted her with his name.

Robin felt a pain in her chest as she stared into Zoro's lone eye, missing the genuine kindness that he'd shown her. The crew had told her of all their adventures, but what had happened to him? Or had he always been like this? She had to get out of there to get her thoughts straight. She'd just made some very interesting friends, and here was Zoro making such bold accusations. She should have expected this – she was the Devil Child and she deserved nothing more. It wasn't as if she hadn't done anything to gain his trust.

"You have said enough, Zoro-san." Robin told him bitterly, looking him in the eye before turning to continue walking, "I only stopped here on my way to another job, so don't worry, you'll never have to see me again."

"Where do you think you're going?" He asked her gruffly as he stood watching her start to walk away.

"To my room," she replied, not looking back.

"Alone?" He asked her, the surprise in his voice making Robin stop where she was.

"Yes?" She answered, looking back at him in confusion.

"It's not safe here at the moment, I'll walk you back," he replied, catching up to her in just a few simple strides, not looking at her.

"Did Luffy-san tell you to walk me home?" She asked plainly, expecting him to grunt a 'yes'.

"No...no-one knows I'm here," he replied, still refusing to look at her.

"Really?" She asked in surprise, starting to walk, "won't they wonder where you are, Zoro-san?"

"Not until morning," he grunted, Robin only just catching him glancing at her quickly.

"Morning?" She echoed, a small smile playing on the corners of her lips.

"Yeah, it's not safe to be on your own, not after hanging out with us. Everyone seemed to know we'd be here, but we don't know anything about the huge gathering of pirates with large bounties." He explained, his face maintaining his serious expression that Robin was starting to become accustomed to.

"Thank you, Zoro-san."

Robin giggled as he pointedly looked away for her, Robin sure his ears were darker than normal as they walked alone in the moonlight. Robin looked back up at the moon, glad it had caught her eye. She wrapped her arm gently around Zoro's, leaning on him slightly, a happy smile on her lips as she noticed that he didn't flinch at her touch. She inhaled deeply, recognising the familiar scent of Zoro, happy it hadn't changed. He'd clearly grown up immensely since they'd first met, but he was still Zoro, the young man that had blushed as she'd leaned into him as they'd slow danced that second time.

She was almost sad as they approach the bed and breakfast, not sure of what would happen now. She turned to him, only to find him staring at her, seeming to Robin as if he was waiting on something. She smiled and kissed his cheek, earning a little blush from him, but nothing like that afternoon in Water 7. She turned and opened the door, carefully hiding her surprise as she felt Zoro follow in the door behind her. Was he really going to stay? He was that bold now? She held back her giggle as she walked towards the stairs, neither saying anything.

"I'll just take the couch," he stated the moment they were in her room, Zoro shutting the door behind them.

"The owners may be a little upset with me if you start taking their furniture, Zoro-san," she giggled, teasing the green haired man standing in the middle of her room, a very confused expression across his face. "That was a joke, Zoro-san, however you do not need to sleep on the couch."

Robin continued to laugh to herself as she walked into the private bathroom, watching Zoro's confused expression reflected in the bathroom mirror in front of her before she shut the door between the two of them. Robin leaned back against the door, her eyes closed. She could see every expression that had crossed Zoro's face in front of her over the last five years as she just stood there, a strange smile on her lips. She couldn't help but feel happy knowing Zoro was in the next room, and her mind wandered to her conversation with Nami that had happened what seemed like years ago as she tried to work out what was wrong with her.

A happy sigh left her as she removed her clothes and stepped into the shower, laughing when she heard Zoro curse as he tripped over something loudly. She let the hot water trickle down her body as she stood there, feeling unusually safe. She finished her shower and stepped out, wrapping the large bath towel around her body before stepping back into the bedroom to find something to wear, giggling at the sight of Zoro sitting awkwardly on the edge of her bed staring at her. She couldn't remember ever feeling this happy or relaxed as she pulled her nightdress out of her bag, before turning calmly to walk back into the bathroom, neither Zoro or herself having spoken a word.

"Are you sleeping like that, Zoro-san?" Robin asked teasingly as she stepped back out of the bathroom, earning another set of red ears from the swordsman.

"I was waiting for you," he grumbled back, rubbing the back of his neck nervously.

"Oh? You wanted to do a striptease? I didn't think you would do something like that for me, Zoro-san," she giggled, earning a face that easily rivalled his blush at Water 7, a blush that was all the more impressive for its appearance on such a much more mature man than it had been on his boyishly handsome face. "Don't worry, Zoro-san, the bathroom is in there – you can change in there if you do not wish to in here," she smiled at him, watching as his nervousness passed at her smile, his blush calming to just a light dusting on his cheeks and the tips of his ears.

Robin slid into the bed, leaving the corner of the cover folded back, ready for Zoro's return, making it clear for him when he came back in that she wasn't just teasing him. She smiled to herself as she opened her book, waiting patiently for the green haired man. She hadn't realised she'd been waiting for him, but she knew from the strange feeling that seemed to cause her to smile without her consent that she had been.

She looked up from her book as Zoro stuck his head out of the bathroom nervously. She watched as his nervous look changed to a confident smirk as he looked back at her. Robin held back her giggle as he strode across to the side of the bed from the bathroom, not wanting to make him feel self-conscious – he certainly didn't have anything to feel self-conscious about, she found herself thinking as she watched him over the top of her book.

She closed her book as he climbed into the bed bedside her, Robin briefly leaning away from him to put her book on the bedside table, deciding she'd read it when she woke up. She felt two strong arms wrap around her shoulders and giggled, feeling them pull her back slightly. She went with them as they gently pulled her into a scared muscular chest, releasing a sigh as she became enveloped by his strong, comforting masculine scent.

She turned over in Zoro's arms, resting her forehead on his shoulder, feeling his heartbeat against her chest, remembering the wonderful feeling that fate now allowed her to feel once more. She looked up into his eye, Zoro smiling softly back at her, and smiled, knowing that Nami had been right. She knew as they lay peacefully in each other's arms that this was indeed love. Robin leant forward as Zoro brought his face closer to hers, their lips meeting in a gentle kiss.

This truly was love.

**_Yonde kurete arigatō, min'na!_**

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><p><strong><em>megaMe,<em>**** really?! *_* *blushes* Th-Thank you *Water 7 Blush* Hehe, that wouldn't be weird...? *_* I'm so glad you thought so! He would, wouldn't he?! XD I feel like I missed something really interesting out...I'd kinda figured they'd fill her in while they were sitting talking...but maybe he'll tell ****_her_**** what happened with Mihawk, since he won't tell ****_anyone_****! XD I figured I'd go for what their relationship was like when she first joined since he does have the responsibility to look out for what's best for the crew, but once he realised that she wasn't spying on them and that he'd actually upset her by suggesting she would, he felt bad...and decided that maybe he should 'be nice', and try to see what she felt for him (he did volunteer to dance with her the second time – to a ****_slow dance_****), but I believe neither of them expected to end up just falling asleep in each other's arms, even after five years ;) Was it a duh moment? I hadn't realised quite how obscure I'd been last time...I actually thought the last one in particular was really easy...but I really like the song sooo 0:) I'm glad to be back! XD Think you can guess this one? ;D You've already said the answer once, and ****_Robin holding onto Zoro's arm_**** would be the big clue here, at least her surprise ;P**

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><p><strong><em>Title change for last Sunday's one-shot (Thank You Dyloa!) to 'Ma Courageuse Petite Mellorine'!<em>**

**Today:**

_**'The Twisting String that is Fate' Ch3 – One Piece (Zorobin)**_

**_'His Sixth Year Crush' Ch1 – One Piece (Zorobin)_**

**Friday:**

_**'Conceit and Crudity' Ch3 – Fairy Tail (GaLe/Gajevy + others)**_

**Sunday:**

_**'Dishes' – One Piece (Zosan)**_

_(If anyone has any requests for one-shots, just let me know! ^_^)_


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